Prowl
by veronica.toon.7
Summary: In the first movie where Nala stalks and then chases Pumbaa before fighting Simba is one of the few in the entire film that shows the animalistic instincts and actions of the lions that the movie mainly blurred over with the humanized thoughts and emotions. But it makes you wonder, what did Nala feel and think when she was hunting?


**I enjoy watching the scene in the Lion King where Nala stalks and then chases Pumbaa before fighting Simba. Aside from Mufasa fighting the hyenas and the end fighting scene, it is one of the few that shows the animalistic instincts and actions of the lions that the movie mainly blurred over with the humanized thoughts and emotions with the scenes. However, this does bring forth the question, was this Nala's first hunt, considering the state of the Pridelands she came out from, or had she had some practice hunting beforehand? Either way, it makes for an interesting dive into perspective of the scene.**

 **I own nothing. The Lion King and all its content belong to Disney. I don't own the cover image either.**

 **Enjoy the story!**

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Prey was in sight. Distracted by its own hunger and unaware that she was there. The creature was obviously well fed, living prosperously in this lush, healthy land. Her stomach churned with the prospect of raw and succulent flesh. She had not eaten for days and it had been many moons since she had been properly fed.

On velvet paws, she crept as close as she could without prey seeing her and bolting. The tall, gold grass brushed against her sides. She was well blended against the tall blades and unless the warthog had keen vision she would be able to catch him with little effort.

The soil felt so soft and warm under her feet, compared to the brittle and hard dirt back home. Though her eyes were focused on the prize, she could sense the richness of the earth beneath her. The grass was drying as the dry season was in full swing, yet she knew this was a healthy ecosystem. It was a thriving habitat.

The Pridelands were in a drought and everywhere felt dead with the scavengers and a tyrant king ruling over it all. Here was free of the desolation and decay. If the Pridelands could not be saved, this place would be ideal for sufficient living.

Her heart thrust fresh blood through her veins and into her tense muscles as she lowered herself further to the ground. The lessons from her mother and the other lionesses etched into her minds and had become a second nature to her. Her lungs let out long, quiet breaths as she waited for the opportunity to present itself.

The horned beetle prey had been stalking flew off the log, escaping the possible strike. It then sensed the tense atmosphere around him and looked out over the wood into the field. She froze as the creature's line of vision fell upon the place she resided.

Her muscles began aching for movement. A hum rumbled up in her chest. Once she realized she had been spotted by prey, her shoulders and hips began swaying side to side in anticipation of sudden movement.

The warthog screamed and wheeled around. A snarl ripped out from her throat. She charged forward, claws extended out and dug into the ground, propelling her forward with each stride. Prey darted back into the jungle, hoping to escape her. Her eyes narrowed in focus at its fleeing form as she leapt over the log and ran into the foliage after it.

The world blurred around her fleet form, yet her eyes never wavered a second from the objective. She darted and dodged incoming branches, trunks, bushes and rocks and streaked through the grass.

The instincts to catch overwhelmed her senses. Never before in her life had she experienced such a desire to seize and dispatch something, even when the hyenas grew bored, hostile and truculent. All that was before her was to execute the creature and, for the first time in many moons, eat her fill.

As they rounded the gargantuan trunks of ancient trees, prey tried to evade her through zig-zagging, yet she was no amatuer to such tactics. Wherever it went, she followed. For a brief moment it had broken through the leaves and out of her line of vision. When she burst through as it had, she could see it had tried to slid under and gotten caught under a tree root.

Though her body ached from the lack of energy, she knew better then to approach slowly to finish it off, as it could very well escape then. Her swift gait never broke as she streamed on the open, sandy path.

Not a minute later she would find herself in a much different position as then she was now, where the warthog and her would be introduced by a previously thought to be deceased lion she had known. Her instincts and primal urges would be pushed back by rational thinking and recognition of a long lost friend.

But as of this moment, her only thoughts were of the life she would take to sustain hers.

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 **Humans are not animals. We are highly intelligent beings that are above the creatures of the earth and have the ability to control our thoughts and emotions. We can not always understand our fellow lower beings who do not understand as we do, and we don't realize the feelings, urges and instincts they have. That is why we can only guess and wonder what it is, in hopes that we can successfully understand them and make peace if we allow ourselves to do so.**

 **Instincts, emotions and events with impact on minds and bodies. All fascinate me on the effect they may bring forth on the mindset and psyche of humans and animals alike. Disney has made many creatures of the earth with human-like qualities, such as understanding of human speech and emotions, like Rajah in Aladdin, and having their own thoughts and emotions that aren't expressed so savage and violently, such as Bagheera in the Jungle Book. Disney tends to humanize such creatures to make them appropriate for younger audiences, yet I enjoy the few and far apart times where the creatures behaved as they normally would in real life. Thank you Disney for doing such parts in the Lion King.**

 **Thank you all so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed my story, please leave a review and feel free to check out some of my other stories. Sincerely, v.t.7**


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